Shloka 12

Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 62 — Duryodhana’s Claim of Victory and Vidura’s Allegories on Discord and Risk

Devanagari script

क्रव्याद्धय इव भूतानामदान्ते भ्य: सदा भयम्‌ । येषां च प्रतिषेधार्थ क्षत्रं सृष्टं स्‍्वयम्भुवा,जैसे मांसभोजी हिंसक पशुओंसे सब जीव डरते रहते हैं, उसी प्रकार अदान्त (असंयमी) पुरुषोंसे सभी प्राणियोंको सदा भय बना रहता है, जिनको हिंसा आदि दुष्कर्मोंसे रोकनेके लिये ब्रह्माजीने क्षत्रिय-जातिकी सृष्टि की है

Transliteration

kravyāddhaya iva bhūtānām adāntebhyaḥ sadā bhayam | yeṣāṃ ca pratiṣedhārthaṃ kṣatraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ svayambhuvā ||

Translation

Vidura berkata: “Sebagaimana semua makhluk hidup sentiasa takut kepada pemangsa pemakan daging, demikian juga semua insan sentiasa gentar terhadap orang yang tidak terkawal dan tidak berdisiplin. Justeru untuk mengekang golongan itu—dengan menahan keganasan dan kejahatan lain—Svayambhū (Brahmā) menciptakan Kṣatra, kuasa raja/ksatria.”

Word by Word

{'kravyāddhayaḥ''flesh-eaters

carnivorous, predatory beings', 'iva''like

as', 'bhūtānām''of living beings

of creatures', 'adāntebhyaḥ''from the unbridled/undisciplined

from the unrestrained (persons)', 'sadā''always

constantly', 'bhayam''fear

danger', 'yeṣām''of whom

whose (people)', 'ca''and

also', 'pratiṣedhārtham''for the purpose of restraint/prohibition

to prevent (wrongdoing)', 'kṣatram''kṣatra

the warrior/kingly power (kṣatriya function)', 'sṛṣṭam''created

brought forth', 'svayambhuvā''by Svayambhū

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Svayambhū (Brahmā)

Kṣatra (royal/warrior power; Kṣatriya order)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Uncontrolled, violent, and undisciplined people become a source of fear to society, like predators in the wild. Therefore legitimate royal power (kṣatra) exists to restrain wrongdoing and protect beings through enforcement of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he explains the ethical rationale for kingship and the kṣatriya function: it is instituted by the cosmic creator to curb harmful conduct and maintain social safety and order.